The race we don’t want to win: Tackling Ireland’s obesity epidemic

Two out of every three adults and one in four children in Ireland are overweight or obese. In addition to the many serious health impacts, obesity also has a significant negative economic impact, costing the Irish state an estimated €1.13 billion in 2009. Under the Healthy Ireland framework the government has expressed its commitment to increasing the number of adults with a healthy weight by 5 per cent and the number of children by 6 per cent, by the year 2019, which would yield substantial health benefits and economic savings. At European Union level, member states have declared a shared commitment to addressing childhood obesity and agreed an EU Action Plan on Childhood Obesity earlier this year. The recommendations of this policy statement build upon areas for action defined in the EU Action Plan. The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland established a policy group on obesity in 2013, bringing together clinicians and other health professionals to propose solutions to address obesity and to support achievement of the targets specified in the Healthy Ireland framework. These solutions fall into the three broad categories of recommendations: public policy measures; actions in specific settings; and actions for health professionals including training. Read whole report